Watch: Virtual reality shows what our first moments after birth might look like

At first there is light. Then, shapes and movement.

Research indicates that our earliest memories date back to when we were around three and a half years old. That’s three and a half years of blankness which few remember, but which play an important role in development.

The Guardian’s virtual reality project – offering a 360-degree view – now lets us see what the first year of life might be like (video above). Over six videos, the show will explore the first year of life.

In the beginning, there is only light, with some shapes and movement. Shown from the point of view of a baby, there is something poignant about the real world slowly coming into focus – the moment of discovery, as it were.

“Welcome to your first day,” the video begins. “You don’t know where you are, or who you are. Days are passing. Your eyes synchronise and like that the world is not flat anymore.”